DETROIT (WWJ) — Four young men tied to an auto theft ring are in police custody after an 11-year-old girl was shot in the head Tuesday morning when nearly two dozen shots were fired into a home on Detroit's east side.
Gunfire erupted around 4 a.m. at a home on Pennsylvania Street, near I-94 and Gratiot, with at least one round hitting the girl, Lamara Glenn, in the head as she slept on the couch. She was in "extremely critical condition" about 12 hours after the shooting, according to Detroit Police Chief James White.
In an update Tuesday afternoon White revealed the four suspects — ages 18, 19, 20 and 23 — were on the department's radar in connection with an auto theft ring that has been "progressed to violent crime."
White said police believe the car used in Tuesday morning's shooting was recently stolen from a local dealership, part of "a rash" of car thefts from dealership lots in recent weeks.
Detroit police are working to identify a fifth suspect they believe was involved in Tuesday's shooting, as well as a recent homicide that has also been tied to the auto thefts. Authorities have not released his name or a suspect description.
"We are very confident he'll be in custody before the day is over," White said of the fifth suspect.
White noted this case has "many layers to it."
While the investigation remains in the early stages, White said the four in custody are believed to be "connected" to the shooting, but he did not say whether they were all shooters. He did say investigators believe there was more than one shooter.
The gun believed to be the one used to shoot the child has been recovered, along with a facsimile gun, White said.
While an exact motive in Tuesday's shooting remains unclear, White said investigators believe there is conflict between two groups of people.
"It's cowardly to bring in a child to whatever adult problems you're having with another group," White said. "When you're shooting 11-year-old girls in a home where they should have some degree of safety, that's not only a problem for the police department, that's a problem for our community. It's outrageous and we're just not gonna tolerate it."
Early Tuesday morning Assistant Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald said investigators were aware the home where the 11-year-old was shot had been targeted before.
Police are still working to determine how many people were inside the home at the time of the shooting. Authorities have been given multiple answers, ranging from just one to as many as 15.
"We're confident it was more than one, but we don't know if it was as many as 15," White said, noting everyone has "a different memory" of what the situation was inside the house.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest details as they become available. >>> LISTEN LIVE!
